The Hire 135.

The City Of Almaic...

"Bring it around!" calls out Tovis the war engineer, who points across to a building away to the right.
The young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic continues with "Get it behind that!".
The catapult crew he's calling out to, start moving their war machine to the building that Tovis has indicated.
The battle here along the west side of Almaic, has been hectic throughout the day. Mainly with the heavy bombardment from war machines on both sides of the conflict.
And as it turns out. Those who have been attacking this side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm. Have had the most success of any attacking the city of Almaic.
As now, as mid afternoon has well and truly gone by, and it's getting later in the afternoon. They're fighting the enemy amongst the buildings, that have spilled out beyond where a wall would normally be on this side of the city.
Tovis, is in a half destroyed building with his second in command, the sorcerer Larris. Along with others in the engineering corp in the Farqian mercenary army. As well as Shur Kee the monk. And the scout officer, subaltern Jax. Who happens to be an assassin, who has been the shadow of Tovis since before the battle got underway.
Somewhere behind them, they hear the thunk of one of their trebuchets firing. Sending a large boulder flying into the city proper.
The young engineer who served as a war engineer to a baron Harkonin in eastern Druvic. Can't fault the plans of field commander Talbot.
Which have seen them finally enter the city of Almaic. Though admittedly outside of where a wall would normally be on this side of the city that's the provincial capital.
A number of soldiers and mercenaries in the army of robber baron Markell hurries by the building the war engineer and the others with him, are in.
With the robber barons men, is a dwarven spellcaster, known as a delver. The robber baron Markell has more spellcasters with his army than any of the other robber barons. Infact he's got more than the other four combined.
As one of the sergeants in the engineering corp directs the robber baron's men between a couple of buildings up ahead. One of which, a catapult is being pushed up behind.
The sorcerer Larris quietly says to the young engineer "Hell, we might get lucky and enter the city itself by nightfall".
"Lets hope so" says the war engineer, who knows that an awful lot can happen between then and now. Which could delay, or even stop their army from entering the city proper by nighttime.
The young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic, who now serves in the mercenary armies of Farque, quietly says to the spellcaster who's his second in command "With the failure on the east side of the city" he continues with "And the all out attack upon the north wall now underway". They received a message a little earlier telling them about that.
"Who knows if that will succeed or not" adds the war engineer who is barely in his twenties "So we're the best chance of actually getting into the city itself" says Tovis, who continues "By nightfall would be good, but even earlier will be better".
The sorcerer Larris who is holding his power within himself at the moment, nods his head in agreement with the young engineer, who holds the rank of captain in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
Then the two of them, look up at the roof of the building infront of them, where one of the spotters in the engineers corp is positioned. He gives a hand signal, and points away to the right.
Tovis and Larris sees that the catapult crew who have pushed their war machine up behind the building that way. Have seen the signal from the spotter. The lead crew member calls out "How far?".
The spotter, as he kneeling upon the roof he's on, gives a couple of hand signals. And the catapult crew get busy loading their war machine, to send a load of rocks and broken masonry flying at the enemy.
As more soldiers and mercenaries in the army of the robber baron Markell go by, heading deeper amongst the warren of streets, lanes and buildings, here to the west of the city proper. The sorcerer Larris asks the young engineer "Should we move forward too?".
The war engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, looks back at Shur Kee the monk, who has found himself a chair, and is sitting with his eyes closed. Tovis correctly guesses the acolyte in the order of Bru Li is meditating.
Then the young engineer, who is a captain in the Farqian mercenary army glances at his shadow throughout the day.
The scout, subaltern Jax. Who isn't even looking at him. But looking out of the destroyed wall infront of them.
Tovis knows she might not be looking at him at the moment. But he knows she glances at him often. He's caught her out the corner of an eye, doing it a few times during the day.
The captain of the engineering corp in the mercenary army from the lands Farque never thought he'd have a constant bodyguard around him all the time. But here he is, he has one. Who has stuck close to him throughout the battle.
"We'll move forward again" says Tovis in reply to the question from his second in command "That way" adds the young engineer who points away to the left.
The sorcerer Larris nods his head, and goes and speaks to one of the sergeant at arms in the corp.
While the scout Jaxs moves back and quietly says "Councilor" to the meditating physical adept sitting upon a chair amongst all the rubble.
"Brother will do subaltern" says Shur Kee the monk who instantly came out of meditation when the assassin trained by prince Helbenthril Raendril spoke to him.
"Brother" says the scout to the honorary member of her lord's personal council. Who doesn't particularly care to be addressed as a councilor.
"We're going" quietly says the short, statured monk wearing the odd, conical shaped hat.
"You heard?" says Jaxs in a slight tone of surprise who thought the monk in the philosophical order of Bru Li, would be deaf to the world as he mediates.
Shur Kee nods, then stands up, and slightly stretches before saying "Shall we" as he gestures towards the others who are making their way out of the badly damaged building they've been in.
They head out, making their way to the left, between a pair of buildings, one that's basically a shell of what it was at the start of the day.
The war engineer, who with his second in command Larris. As well as subaltern Jaxs, and Shur Kee the monk. Are towards the rear of the group from the engineering corp in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
One of the spotters, and the sergeant at arms that the sorcerer Larris spoke to. Are leading the way through the warren of streets and lanes. Searching for a building, or vantage point that best suits the needs of the young engineer.
As the catapult they left behind them, and away to the right. Flings a load of rocks and other broken bits of debris towards an enemy position.
They head towards a damaged two storey building. That has a few of their fellow black clad soldiers in the Farqian mercenary army. Hanging around it, and inside of it. With a larger number of soldiers and mercenaries in the army of the robber baron Markell.
"Might get a better look at what's happening" says Tovis with a nod of his head up at the second storey of the building they're hurrying towards.
They make their way through those outside of the building, and as the spotters hurry upstairs, and up onto the roof.
Tovis, along with Larris, Shur Kee and Jaxs. And a couple of others in the engineering corp, head upstairs too. And make their way onto a balcony of the two storey building they find to be partly damaged.
There's a few other officers in the Farque mercenary army on the balcony as well. Part of the forward elements who were first into the buildings here in the west of Almaic, where buildings have built up beyond where a wall would normally be.
They and those they command are holding back from the fighting unlike earlier in the day, when they were the only ones fighting the enemy up close.
Now the robber baron Markell's men are the ones who are predominantly doing the close quarter fighting. As the army led by field commander Talbot attempts to push into the city proper.
From the balcony of the two storey building. The war engineer Tovis can see that this side of the city does infact have a wall.
Not a normal wall as such. But bits of a wall. Of various lengths, though nothing over fifty or sixty feet in length. And of various heights too. Though nothing as high as forty five feet. Which is the height of the north and south walls of the city that's the provincial capital.
These small sections of wall are up and down the entire length of the west side of the city. Usually close to, and either side of where a watchtower is.
Though there's one stretch that looks exactly like the walls on the north and south sides of the city.
It's where the gates are on this side of Almaic are located. Which are kind of redundant. As you can enter the city proper on this side, basically anywhere you like.
But nevertheless, there's a set of gates, with walls to the sides of them. About fifty feet to either side. Gates, where the road from the west of the city leads up to.
The young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic, who only joined the armies of Farque fifteen months ago.
Sees that a number of the robber baron Markell's men, are fighting the enemy on the way towards those gates. And even from here, he can see that there's quite a lot of the enemy on and around the city gates.
For though you can enter the city just about anywhere along this side of the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
You can move larger numbers into the city proper, and deeper into it. More quickly if you go through the gates after coming up the road.
Tovis looks up above them to the roof, and says to one of the spotters in the corp "Have them all move forward if they're able to" the captain in the mercenary army from the lands Farque continues with "And see if one of the trebuchets can hit that" as he points away in the distance to the city gates, and the sections of wall that's on either side of them.
"Yes captain" says the spotter, who disappears out of sight as he moves to the otherside of the roof, to signal to the war machine crews who are further back, or are still outside of where the city has built up beyond where a wall would normally be.
Then all on the balcony, look away to the right, and further towards the city proper. Where an entire building explodes. And a ball of fire and debris mushrooms up into the clear and sunny afternoon sky, on what's been a hot, summer's day here in northern Nastell.
"That delver" says Larris the sorcerer with a nod of his head to the building that just exploded.
"The enemy were using that as a staging point" says one of the officers in the Farqian army on the balcony.
"Not anymore" says the fairly powerful sorcerer in a slightly dry tone of voice.
Tovis the war engineer nods. He knows that the robber baron Markell who has number of dwarven warriors in his army. Has a pair of delvers under his command. And that they're the most powerful spellcasters that any of the robber barons have under their command.
Then just as the young engineer figures the enemy will retaliate in some way for what's just happened.
Shur Kee the monk, who is standing to one side with his eyes closed, and is usually silent, speaks up and says "Something is about to happen".
Tovis looks sharply at his second in command Larris, who briefly stops holding his power within himself, and senses as far as he can into the city of Almaic.
And though the Farqian spellcaster senses a number of enemy spellcasters within the city proper. Before he holds his power within himself again. He catches the sense of a very powerful spellcaster in the city. Heading more or less to the western quarter of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"Someone's coming this way" says Larris the sorcerer with a nod towards the city proper.
"Who?" asks Tovis the war engineer.
"A sorcerer" is the reply of the second in command of the engineering corp, who after a slight pause adds "A powerful one" . . . . . .